Army Reservist thinks he saw a mountain lion in an Arlington park

by John P. Meyer

Drill Sergeant Javier Castrellon is a U.S. Army Reservist who works for an auto finance company in Hurst. He is not the sort of chap to be rattled by an encounter with a pussycat.

Castrellon says he's been running in Arlington's Cravens Park for the better part of six years, and all he typically encounters are roadkill and rabbits.

But on Tuesday evening (Feb. 12), as storm clouds darkened the area, Castrellon says he was jogging along the Cravens Park trail when he came literally face-to-face (at a five-meter distance) with what he thinks was a mountain lion, puma, or cougar, depending on one's preferred terminology.

Sgt. Castrellon says he and the cat - described as tan colored, about 25 - 30 lbs. and around 2 1/2 feet tall - "made eye contact" before he (the cat) high-tailed it into the woods.

Says Castrellon: "I picked up a couple of rocks and walked backwards for about 100 meters, then proceeded to jog towards my destination."

Sgt. Castrellon then called a non-emergency police number to report the encounter. The person he spoke to suggested that the animal he saw was probably a bobcat, but Castrellon - who Googled some images of various cat species - notes that "bobcats have whiskers and are short and furry. This cat was defined by muscle."

"I am convinced we have these animals around here," says Castrellon, in reference to his sighting and those stemming from other reported big cat encounters in the area. "I'll be carrying pepperspray and a pocket knife next time I run the trail."

Who knows what lurks in the woods surrounding our enclaves of civilization? (Or in hearts of men, for that matter.)

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